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Sunday, November 11, 2012

I'm so excited to share November's featured author with you. Sarah Pekkanen is one of my absolute favorite authors because I love her novels, and also because she is so down to earth and real. So not pretentious and she really seems to care a lot about her readers. She always has a kind word for her Facebook friends, she is a fantastic writer, she takes the time to make the fan feel important!

She has written three novels, The Opposite of Me, Skipping a Beat, These Girls, and her next one, The Best of Us is coming out in the spring! In the meantime, Sarah fulfills our need for her written word with awesome little novels for just 99 cents, and sometimes she even gives them away to her fans for free! Later this month she'll have another e-story out called Beginning Again. I've fallen absolutely in love with her e-story characters, and I really look forward to these little sampling of her books. If you haven't checked them out, you really need to. Start with: All Is Bright and then read Love Accidentally and by the time you finish those two, Beginning Again will be out. (I can't believe there's NO cover for this one yet Sarah!! ACK!!!... Maybe they are still looking for the perfect faceless model? Haha)Anyway, in honor of Sarah being the Booking with Manic FEATURED AUTHOR of the month, she has graciously offered to give away a set of her three novels here to one winner! SO EXCITED FOR YOU GUYS!!! I also got to ask her some questions that I thought you all might want to know, so here they are! Thanks so much Sarah, and we can't wait to read Beginning Again, and then The Best of Us!

1. I loved your first book, The Opposite of Me, and
the sister dynamic. Do you have a sister, and if so, did you base the
story on your relationship at all?

Sarah: Thank you! I
actually don't have a sister, but I've always been intrigued by the
messy, complicated, intense relationships my friends all seem to have
with their sisters, which inspired me to write The Opposite of Me. When I
was younger, I yearned for a sister, and imagined she'd be just like me
- a little shy and dorky and into Nancy Drew books. Then one day I
thought, "Wait - what if I had a sister, and she was nothing like me?" That was when the idea for my first book began brewing.

2. Do you have a hidden manuscript? Anything you'll never share with your fans?

Sarah: I
do have a manuscript in a drawer in my office that will never be
published, but I'm okay with that - it will always have a special place
in my heart because working on that novel taught me how to put together a
book. It's my practice pancake - the books that followed were stronger,
but I'll never regret writing this one (even though it took years.
Years!)

3. You write some incredible short stories that are inexpensive and
fun and available on all e-readers. The characters
intertwine and like your full-length novels, we can't help but fall in
love with them. You have a new one coming out -- what's it called and
what's it about?

Sarah: Thank you so much! I love
writing short e-stories partly because they're a real challenge: my
characters cross over from story to story, so the stories need to
enhance one another, but they also have to make sense on their own in
case someone buys just one. They're only 99 cents, which is nice,
because sometimes you want to sample an author's style before splurging
on a whole book. My upcoming e-story is titled "Beginning Again" and
it'll be out Nov. 27. It's actually quite long - about 1/5 the length of
a novel - and it tells the story of a woman named Corrine Brown, who
returns to her hometown for her little sister's wedding. Corrine is
reeling from a very recent, very painful divorce, and she's being forced
to begin a new kind of life.

4. And your next full-length novel is coming out this spring? I know
it's about a group of friends who get trapped in Jamaica due to a
hurricane. Any more info you can
share on it?

Sarah: The Best of Us will be out April 9, and it's a
full-length novel. I'm so excited about it! I actually had the surreal
experience of doing a final read through on the manuscript before it
went to press last week while I was hunkered down in my basement, riding
out Hurricane Sandy. Meanwhile, I was reading about my characters who
were hunkered down in Jamaica, riding out a hurricane.

Here's the description:

An
all-expense paid week at a luxury villa in Jamaica – it’s the
invitation of a lifetime for a group of old college friends. All four
women are desperate not just for a reunion, but for an escape: Tina is
drowning under the demands of mothering four young children. Allie is
shattered by the news that a genetic illness runs in her family.
Savannah is carrying the secret of her husband’s infidelity. And
finally, there’s Pauline, who spares no expense to throw her wealthy
husband an unforgettable 35th birthday celebration, hoping it will gloss
over the cracks already splitting apart their new marriage.

Languid
hours on a private beach, gourmet dinners, and late nights of drinking
kick off an idyllic week for the women and their husbands. But as a
powerful hurricane bears down on the island, turmoil swirls inside the
villa, forcing each of the women to re-evaluate everything she knows
about her friends – and herself.

5. Can you tell us if you have the next novel swimming in your head yet?

Sarah: I
do - in fact, I've written about 50 pages of it! I have a book due
every April 1, so I start writing a new one when my kids go back to
school in September. It's a little tight to finish a whole book in six
months, but that way I get to spend my summers with my kids, so it's
worth the work crush in the fall and winter.

6. With three boys, your schedule must be nuts -- how can you go
from writer to mom? Are there times when you have to say, "OK, Mommy
needs a minute, an idea for a scene just came to me, and I HAVE to go
write it down?" How do you manage those kinds of things? Can you switch
gears like that?

Sarah: It's tough, because i have a three-year-old whose
concept of time is a little different from mine, so asking him for a
minute doesn't always work - "But we need to play trains NOW, Mommy!"
Still, in a weird sort of way I'm glad my writing life is so fractured.
I've learned to squeeze in writing around the margins of our days - I
rack up pages at soccer practice, at the orthodontist's office, and in
the preschool pick-up line. I think it keeps me from feeling as if
writing is too precious or important, which is good, because it also
keeps it from being intimidating. When I know I've only got an hour on a
certain day to write, there's less of a temptation to over-think it; I
just dive in.

7. What is the absolute best thing about being a writer?

Sarah: Connecting
with readers. They're so darn nice! I'm always touched and thrilled to
hear them say they liked one of my books. And I'm tempted to say,
"Really? My Mom didn't pay you to say that to me?"

Thank you so much Sarah! It's been fun getting to peek inside your life as a writer and a mother! So for all you readers out there, if you would like to win the set of Sarah's books: The Opposite of Me, Skipping a Beat and These Girls, this is what I'd like you to tell me...

Since Sarah's next book is about a group of four couples going on a luxury vacation, tell me this -- if you could go on a luxury vacation, would you rather go with --

Girlfriends?Your husband/spouse/partner? OR a group of couples friends?

Those are your three choices -- At this point in my life, I would choose a luxury vacation with just my spouse. We sooo need a getaway -- YOUR TURN, tell me your choice and you'll be entered to win!

Also, check out below to see if you won either of the following books recently posted:Love Anthony: Congrats to: Ludy2288Charlotte Street: Kimmi with the Penguin logo

If you are either Ludy2288 or Kimmi with the Penguin logo, please email me at stephanieelliot@gmail.com to claim your book. Include your full name and mailing address so I can get your book to you!

Thanks everyone, more books to come. Still dealing with some health issues with Luke and we have a neurology appointment coming up so please keep us in your thoughts! xo

NEW TO BOOKING WITH MANIC?

If you're new to Booking with
Manic, thank you for stopping by! We love new readers! Some notes - If
you're entering to win a book, please use an identifying name and it's
usually a great idea to include an email, which I will never give out
to anyone else. You can only enter once please. You'll need to check
back here in about a week or so to see if you've won the book -- I
will highlight the winner's name at the top of this post, or tell you
where you can find the winner's name at the top of this post. Most
books are supplied directly through publishers, publicists and the
authors. Winners will receive books directly from the publisher or
author within 3 weeks from the time you provide me with your address,
unless I send you the book (sometimes I will). Sorry, but we can only
ship to U.S. and Canada so if you're from another country, thank you
for coming by to read and discover new authors, but we can't send you a
book. Any questions on how I run the blog or suggestions on who you
would like to see featured, please email me at
stephanieelliot@gmail.com. Thank you for your support!

65 comments:

EKB
said...

LOVE LOVE LOVE Sarah's books (and she is the sweetest person to her fans!!) I can't wait for her short story and new book in April- woohoo!! I would totally take a vaca with girlfriends (sorry hubby) but I need a fricken break and some girl time.

I haven't read any of Sarah's books, so I'm excited to read these! If Joelle wins, I'll take her books since she has them, and also so she won't whip me with a wet noodle! j/k.

I think I would go on a couples trip. This way I could get the best of both worlds. I could hang out with the girls, but I could also spend time with my husband too. I went on one like this already and it was fabulous!

Husband and I is my number one choice. But I would love to try traveling with other couples. We planned a vacation with my brother and his girlfriend for next summer but then they got engaged and decided to make the trip their honeymoon so we decided we better skip this one. =)

I would love to go on vacation with couples. there is only a few of our friends that are couples,that my husband and I would ever go on vacation with. I could go anywhere anytime with just my husband since we have no children!!!!

If I was going on a luxury vacation I would definitely want it to be a girlfriend vacation. I love my man, but I just know the bickering would still be there. LOL Me & my ladies know what's up & how to have a fabulous time with NO DRAMA!

OMG! I would go with my husband and son. I would love to sleep in a bed. My house on the Jersey Shore was destroyed by Hurricane Sandy and for the last 14 days we have been living in my sons one room attic loft an hour from my house. We are sleeping on chairs and a loveseat size couch and taking turns on the 1 bed. I would love to sleep for 1 night on a luxurious bed, and maybe just soak up some sun and drink some tropical drinks and forget my last two weeks and upcoming months of rebuilding. Unfortunately we lost everything in the house and I would have to buy some vacay clothes which would be fun. But, just reading books can be an escape for a time.

I would love to go with just the girls! It's usually a little easier (even if it's hard) to go on a vacation with your spouse. It's very hard to get a group of girls to be able to get away at the same time. Plus how often do you get girl time? Seems life always gets in the way.

I will definitely have to check out Sarah's eBooks! Because we just moved to a place where my husband and I know NO ONE, we've spent a lot of time together and while he's great, if I could go on a luxury vacation tomorrow, I'd take some of my girlfriends (I miss them tons!).

OMG - literally! Sarah is one of my FAVORITE authors! I loved reading the interview - one of the things I love most about her is how well she connects with her readers (on top of the fact that her books are magnificent).

My choice on the vacation would be my hubs - we don't get very much time alone anymore and we've only been on TWO vacations in our 16+ year relationship (and one of those was a very short honeymoon)!!

I love Sarah's books. I am super excited to hear she publishes every April, just in time for my birthday. I would love to take a getaway with my hubby. I think after 39 years together, it's about time. I told him last year on our anniversary that the 40th is a cruise year. Need to prepare him for a couple of years so he's agreeable to it. :^)